


Hope for the Future

by twilitfalchion



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, I'm Bad At Summaries, Loose retelling of a support chain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:20:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25365250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilitfalchion/pseuds/twilitfalchion
Summary: Lysithea von Ordelia did not have much to expect from the life that had been stolen from her, but the appearance of her new professor could change that.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Lysithea von Ordelia
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	Hope for the Future

Not a day passed where uncertain, fearful thoughts concerning her future didn’t enter Lysithea von Ordelia’s mind. From the earliest years of her childhood, the girl had carried with her both the emotional scars and the physical burden of the forced experimentation she was helplessly subjected to—the same experiments of which she was the sole survivor out of all her siblings, and the same experiments that had given her the unusual frost white hair she possessed. Certainly, the efforts of her tormentors to imbue an individual with two Crests had largely been successful, but at a cost. Tragically, Lysithea’s lifespan had been drastically shortened by the abuse she endured with little hope of undoing the damage. Nevertheless, her parents, the Count of House Ordelia and his wife, had ensured that she would obtain an education to offer her the best possible chance at a successful life (however long it would last) wherever her endeavors might take her on the continent of Fódlan. An industrious, promising student of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery, Lysithea had proven her intellectual capabilities to be quite advanced despite her age, impressing even the eldest, most renowned faculty at the academy.

Per the academy’s house system established for its students, Lysithea had opted to become a member of the Golden Deer house, led by the charismatic and calculating Claude von Riegan, heir to the most prominent house within the Leicester Alliance. As the months following her enrollment passed, Lysithea’s academic record only flourished, although her social activities would remain anything but promising. In hopes of making the best possible use of her time, Lysithea had decided to cast aside any possibilities of social interaction in favor of her studies, desiring above all else to honor her beloved parents and restore House Ordelia. As a consequence of this decision, the young Ordelia had earned the reputation of being both a tremendously industrious student as well as a fairly unapproachable person, causing most people to avoid her except for the house leader himself, but only to tease her for her lack of years compared to her fellow students, something he knew would enrage her every time he reminded her of it.

Regardless of how she chose to spend her free moments, Lysithea would have said that her time at Garreg Mach was fairly pleasant, if uneventful—that is, until the sudden appearance of her new professor, a rather stoic mercenary a mere five years her senior. Knowing very little of him or his background, she made it a personal mission to ensure that this unexpected development would have no bearing on her educational future.

One day, after class had finished, Lysithea boldly approached her teacher’s desk seeking to make clear between the two of them how imperative it was that the quality of her instruction not decline with his arrival.

Looking at the replacement professor squarely in the eye with as much intensity as she could muster, Lysithea began, “With all due respect, Professor, I do not believe that you understand my educational needs. Being of such a young age yourself, do you truly think that you could offer me an equal or superior learning experience to what the previous instructor could give?”

Rather than immediately offering her a response, the professor (apparently called Byleth, as she would later learn) simply glanced up from the papers he was studying and blankly stared at Lysithea for a few moments, putting the girl in a state of unease. In the awkward silence that ensued, her mind began to have thoughts racing and swirling through it as to what the professor could be thinking.

Appearing to realize how uncomfortable he was making his student, Byleth’s eyes widened and he finally replied, “Miss von Ordelia, if you feel as though my efforts have been insufficient to meet your rigorous standards, then perhaps I could set aside some of my already minimal free time to aid you in your quest for academic supremacy.”

At this statement, Lysithea immediately felt her face warm up in embarrassment as she realized how much she must have sounded like a petulant child to her new instructor.

Trying to save face as much as possible, the girl continued, “Professor! I would n-never ask you to make sacrifices like t-that for my sake, b-but I’m just concerned that—”

Interrupting Lysithea’s less-than-graceful attempt at fixing her verbal mistakes from before, the professor resumed speaking, albeit in a much softer tone, “Miss von Ordelia, I understand your concerns, but you are an excellent student with the outstanding results to prove it. I genuinely believe you have nothing to worry about.”

Had Lysithea not been so flustered from the embarrassment of what she had said earlier, she could have sworn that she had seen the smallest of smiles—a warm one at that—show itself on her professor’s face while he was talking. More than anything else she had noticed though, was the surprise of hearing her typically inexpressive professor so openly voice his esteem for her academic talents. If she was honest with herself, she not only felt a blush rise in her cheeks at his praise but a fluttering inside that she didn’t quite know how to describe.

Dismissing it as nerves, Lysithea was quick to apologize to her teacher, saying, “Professor, I’m sorry for questioning your authority. I just want to make sure that I don’t fail in making my family proud of me.”

As she finished speaking, Lysithea observed the soft look on her professor’s face as he acknowledged her apology, “Lysithea, do not worry. I appreciate how you pay such great attention to your academic endeavors. It is more than I can say about some of your classmates.”

At this last statement, a small laugh escaped the professor’s lips, surprising his student.

“ _He actually has emotions…and a sense of humor! If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t believe it_.”

Thanking the professor for his time, Lysithea quickly left the classroom and headed for her quarters, all the while wondering to herself about what kind of person her professor truly was.

* * *

In the days and weeks following her conversation with the professor, Lysithea found herself unable to tear her mind away from thinking about the mercenary teacher formerly known as the “Ashen Demon.” Continually, she would speculate as to where he came from, why he acted so aloof and emotionless most of the time in contrast to their interactions in private, and why she felt increasingly compelled to spend more time with him discussing her studies and other topics than she had in the past. Annoyed with allowing herself to be so distracted by such a needless diversion from her goals, she decided to talk about her frustrations with a fellow student, who just so happened to be the vivacious yet slothful Hilda Valentine Goneril.

Walking up to Hilda at lunch hour in the mess hall, Lysithea began to voice her thoughts with the classmate she considered to be the most well-versed in social interaction out of all the Golden Deer.

“It’s the strangest thing. Our teacher doesn’t seem to ever leave my thoughts as if he’s some mystery to be solved, and I don’t understand why. He’s not a terribly complex person to comprehend when you take the time to analyze his actions and words; he’s quite particular about how he completes his tasks and follows a similar daily routine. He even orders the same meal most days of the week! Why could I possibly have such a fixation on a dull person like the professor?”

As she listened to Lysithea, the twin-tail-wearing daughter of Count Goneril began to understand her friend’s plight, letting the slyest of smiles creep across her face in reaction to what she was hearing.

In a tone not unlike the purring of one of the countless cats that roamed the monastery, Hilda said to Lysithea, “Darling, do you think that there might be one simple answer to your questions?”

“What? How could you have solved my problem already?” Lysithea knew Hilda to be more astute than she let on but was very skeptical of the possibility that she could have come up with a solution _that_ quickly.

Flashing Lysithea another knowing smile, Hilda looked at her companion and said, “Lys, have you considered that you may have a _little_ crush on the professor?”

Having been averse to the idea of romantic interests for some time given her shortened lifespan, Lysithea had cast aside any hopes of a future spent with someone she could love and be loved by in return. Responding more curtly than she had perhaps intended, Lysithea replied, “Of course not! The most logical conclusion is that my critical thinking abilities find him to be a suitable candidate for study. That is all.” After assuring Hilda that her suggestion was as far from the truth as it could be, Lysithea hastily abandoned her unfinished meal and left to be alone with her thoughts in the library.

Watching her friend leave as abruptly as she did, Hilda needed no further confirmation of her theory. At this point, there was only one question remaining in her mind.

“ _Oh, how long will it take her to figure out her own feelings? There’s nothing wrong with having a little romance in your life. Teehee!_ ”

* * *

Once inside the library, Lysithea unloaded her textbooks onto a desk located in the most secluded corner she could find; but her efforts to study would be in vain, as Hilda’s suggestion repeatedly resounded in her head and interrupted whatever flow of thought she tried to maintain.

“ _There’s no way I would ever develop such frivolous feelings, especially not towards someone like the professor or at a time like this! I need to focus solely on my studies. That must be my only objective with however much time I have left…_ ”

Lost in her contemplations, Lysithea did not pay attention to how much time had passed since arriving at the library. Noticing the sudden lack of light in the room, she grew unsettled and immediately started to gather her belongings and return to her dormitory. Although she would never have admitted it, and likely would have strongly denied it if the topic was brought up, the young scholar held a fear of both the darkness and the creatures and beings that may inhabit it.

Departing from the library as quickly as her short stride could carry her, Lysithea felt as though her heart could burst from her chest, almost letting out a horrific scream upon bumping into something, or rather, someone she was not expecting to encounter so late at night. Turning towards what she had run into moments ago, the student was astonished to see the man who had been occupying her thoughts, Professor Byleth, standing right in front of her.

“P-Professor! W-what are you d-doing here s-so late?”

“I just came to find some additional materials for tomorrow’s lecture.”

“You n-nearly gave m-me a f-fright!”

“That was not my intention. I apologize if—”

“N-no! I know y-you didn’t mean to! I-I’m just easily s-startled! Th-that’s all!”

Amidst their conversation, Byleth seemed to recognize how Lysithea grew more distressed as they continued to remain in the dimly lit hallway on the second floor of Garreg Mach Monastery. Realizing that her discomfort must be due to the darkness surrounding them, the young professor offered to walk her back to her dorm after he found the texts he was looking for.

“Miss von Ordelia, would you prefer if I accompany you back to your quarters? I can join you once I find the materials I need.”

Overjoyed to not have to be alone as she returned to her dormitory, Lysithea eagerly (perhaps a bit _too_ eagerly) accepted the professor’s offer, saying, “Oh, thank you! I mean, of course it would be nice to have some company on the way back, as long as my presence doesn’t bother you. You’re very kind, Professor.”

Showing his student a rare smile, Byleth responded, “It is no bother. The safety and well-being of each of my students are important to me, and you are no exception.”

There was something different in the professor’s smile and presence this time that made Lysithea feel an unfamiliar warmth and security; and as the pair chatted and walked through the halls of the monastery, Lysithea felt her worries and fears slowly fading into the back of her mind, giving place instead to a peace that she hadn’t truly known before.

After a brief goodbye, the young mage entered her room, changed into her nightclothes, and wrapped herself in the comfort of the sheets and blankets of her bed. Exhaustion from the work and activities of the day would soon draw her to a restful, dream-filled slumber. But unlike the worry-ridden dreams of previous nights, the dreams she would have that night and in the nights to come would be of the man who had both captured her attention and helped to reassure the fretful girl of her future.

* * *

Indeed, Lysithea was not the only one to remember vividly the day the class’s beloved professor had disappeared; but of Byleth’s students, she was the one most strongly affected by his absence. Though she had initially been reluctant to admit the existence of her feelings towards the professor, as time had passed, her longing to remain by her teacher’s side had only grown stronger. Thinking back to her time at Garreg Mach as a student, Lysithea realized how much of her former teacher’s habits and character traits she remembered and admired—how he would thoughtfully take note of each student’s likes and dislikes; how he would unfailingly set aside time in his day to help anyone in the monastery who needed assistance, even at the expense of his free moments and energy; and how he never seemed to tire of bringing joy and fulfillment to his students in their studies.

While Lysithea knew that her feelings had merely been an infatuation at first, she also understood that those feelings had overwhelmingly grown into the love she now held towards Byleth. In the five years that had passed since the students lost their teacher, the once-immature mage girl had flowered into a mature woman and a formidable fighter as well as a beauty in her own right. Though others had made efforts to court the daughter of Count von Ordelia, she had repeatedly refused each of their offers, instead clinging to the chance that Byleth would somehow reappear.

To Lysithea’s and her classmates’ surprise, this hope eventually gave way to reality, as the former professor of the Golden Deer miraculously returned from what had seemed to be his certain death. Of course, all of Byleth’s students were elated to see him once again, but Lysithea most of all, as he had never stopped occupying her daily thoughts and nightly reveries while gone, becoming the motivation behind Lysithea’s efforts to help end the war. Now that he was once again within reach, the young woman could not restrain herself from looking excitedly towards the future she so deeply longed to spend by his side.

With their former instructor now heading the resistance against the Empire alongside Claude, the war’s end quickly came, although it was nonetheless made bittersweet by the loss of her closest friends and allies going back as far as her days as a student of the Officers Academy. In the weeks and months following the war’s conclusion, not only was the continent of Fódlan unified into a singular kingdom out of the remains of the Church of Seiros and Byleth crowned leader of it, but with the help of Byleth and Professor Hanneman, Lysithea had been successful in freeing herself from the burdensome Crests that had deprived her of the years she would have otherwise had. At these new developments, and with the newfound potential of living a long, contented life, Lysithea began to wonder what her place in this reformed world would be after completing her plans to dissolve her family’s house.

Truly, Lysithea would come to understand what she sought to know far sooner than she might have thought possible. On the fifteenth day of the Horsebow Moon, two months after the war’s end, Byleth called for Lysithea to meet with him privately in the Goddess Tower. Unsure of why the man she still affectionately called “Professor” would want to speak with her, she hesitantly accepted his request.

Upon arriving, Lysithea was surprised to see Byleth relaxedly leaning over the balcony and staring into the radiant, star-filled sky. As she walked closer, Byleth must have sensed her presence as he immediately turned to greet her with a fond expression.

“Miss von Ordelia, the night air is quite refreshing, wouldn’t you say?”

“Indeed, Professor. It is especially lovely at this time of year.”

“How have you been as of late? I know it has not been easy given the changes that have taken place across the kingdom recently.”

“It has been remarkably free of worries and frustrations since the war ended, actually. I haven’t felt so free from my anxieties in years as I do now. Of course, it is in no small part thanks to you, Professor. You were unfailingly persistent in helping to save me from the Crests that would have eventually taken my life. I am so thankful for all you’ve done.”

“Your tenacity also played a great role as well, Lysithea; but I am glad to know you are doing well regardless. What do you plan to do next?”

“House Ordelia will end, and I will renounce my nobility. It will be the best decision for both me and my family’s wellbeing.”

“And then?”

“Quite truthfully, I had hoped that I could remain with you as long as you would have me. I know that this is a bit sudden, but—”

Softly interrupting her, Byleth responded, “Lysithea. Please, take this.”

Astonished at the sight before her, Lysithea began to tremble upon seeing her beloved professor present her with an engagement ring.

Tears welling in her eyes, Lysithea could barely contain her emotions as she spoke, “P-Professor? D-Does this mean—? Are you sure t-that you want to—?”

“Yes. Lysithea, I apologize that I couldn’t remain with you for the entirety of the past five years, but I’m here with you now, and I want to cherish every moment that we could spend together if that is what you want.”

In a single moment, what Lysithea had only known in her most private daydreams was now materializing before her eyes, causing her to react as she did, saying, “Oh, of course I will! I’ve wanted to share my future with you for so long now. It doesn’t seem real that this could be happening, but I’m so thankful that it is. As long as I stay with you, I know that I will be as joyful and safe as I could possibly be. Thank you for this gift.”

While he did not express his excitement as outwardly as his now-fiancée did, Byleth nevertheless felt the same elation that had overwhelmed Lysithea in the moments before. Once again reassuring her of their future together, Byleth said, “We’ve worked so hard to attain what we have now—the assurance of a life spent together and the bliss that goes with it—and I have no intention of letting it slip away. I love you, Lysithea, and I will eagerly be awaiting your return.”

“Yes! I can’t wait for the promise of our shared future to be made real. I’ve wanted this for what feels like ages now, but all the hope I held for the possibility of a life with you is finally coming true. I’m so happy, my love.”

Indeed, the couple would go on to reign as the king and queen of the newly created United Kingdom of Fódlan, remembered as outstanding, benevolent rulers. But what many would recount as most notable in the generations to follow was the fervent love they shared—the same love that continued to burn brightly between the two for the remainder of their years.


End file.
